Im a slut, and you should be too

I have been doing my typical crap. I have made a lot of progress on the Web TV 2 work, unfortunately the day I decided to install a Windows XP OS on the Dev' unit I have been working on, the bastard decided it didnt want to boot anymore. Im assuming one of two things are wrong, either the BIOS PLCC Socket is bad, or the unit finally bit my hand after all of the solder work ive put it through. I have one more to fiddle with, and 5 more on the way. I was told two of the units are DOA, and three were store retail units, possibly developer units. I might be able to get all of them back to life.

Here are some pics of my progress.

As you can see I have made a bit of progress, and I have been taking my sweet time with it. Just wait, I will be done someday... I am also working on an LPC Flasher for people who dont have one. I just need a competent coder to help me with the software side of things, but one step at a time, eh?

I have also been working on OS Install methods. I wound up getting a good deal on an Asus EEE 900a. Its still running the stock shit xandros OS, but I plan on swapping out to XP Pro. I have been playing with USB multiboot, which allows you to boot from a USB Thumbdrive and install XP. Now, I could be sane and just use Windows XP Pro, but of course I am not. I have been toying with Windows XP Embedded and Windows XP Tablet Edition. Now before you start to bitch "OMFG Why Winblowze!!!" let me remind you that I am not an OS Fanboy. I am choosing Windows for now mainly because of popularity, ease of install, and tech experience level needed for any preliminary hacking. Remember I am doing this as much for myself as I am for other people. If I wanted to be selfish little slut that only thinks inward, I wouldnt be doing most of this work on the OS, posting my research, or explaining anything. I figured this tech-slut can share the info and hope to get others started. Perhaps I could even inspire someone to go beyond my work and do something I cant, which is really why I am doing this.

I also got my hands on a WebDT 366, an embedded tablet. Well, im a slut, so I got 4 of them. Granted 3 of them are for my friends and they are reimbursing me, it still give me a few extra to play with. Here is a little bit about the WebDT so far:

• AMD Geode GX 500Mhz CPU
• 512MB onboard FlashROM (some models have 1GB)
• 256MB DDR 200Mhz RAM
• PCMCIA (Used for Wifi)
• Compact Flash (used for... DUH!)
• USB 1.1 (the 800Mhz model does USB 2.0)
• Adjustable (max 16MB) onboard shared video
• Onboard Audio and Microphone with headphone jack
  
• Onboard Bluetooth
  
• Typical BIOS features
• Boots from USB, FlashROM, or Compact Flash

This is a recent toy, I have no pictures, and being the technophile I am I have too many projects going on at once. Not to mention I dont blog for shit unless I have to, so dont expect much news on the WebDT right now. So far it boots Windows CE 5 from FlashROM. I have been able to load the USB Multiboot XP Install to get an OS, but the 512MB of storage is very limiting. I need to get my hands on a bigger Compact Flash card. You can enter the BIOS setting by hitting the F1 key on a keyboard when it loads a pale blue screen. I just whail on it like a crack-head maniac. Once in the BIOS it has the typical features. The unit has already loaded a few live Linux distros for me from USB Thumbdrive, I have not had a chance to fix my USB CD-Rom drive but the WebDT can boot from it. Once I get some extra time I would like to backup the internal flashrom since I dont have a WinCE Restore Disc. Once a backup is made I will feel a little more comfortable playing with OS Installations. Yay for linux and the dd command!

It just doesnt stop!! I also got my hands on a pair of MyVue iPod LCD glasses. They are marketed strictly for iPods' however it has a typical 4 pin 3.5MM headphone hookup. They run 320x240, yeah, kinda' low rez, but they look pretty good. They are a lot smaller, lighter, and better quality than my last pair of LCD glasses. The one thing I like about them is the fact that they arent full-field. They dont obstruct your vision completely. They only take up the lower third of your field of vision. One thing I dont like is the design seems to be for someone thats 9 feet tall. The headset will need a headband strap to keep it from falling off my greasy face constantly. I got a damn good deal on them and to be honest I enjoy them. I plan on using them for a few wearable projects, including a smaller slim-line 2.4Ghz wireless Video Scanner currently being worked on.

This is my idea of getting ready for sleep....

Asus EEE - Where it went wrong

My buddy Mustang wanted an EEE PC, my other buddy was selling his for $150. Me acting as a middle man I was able to work the deal out, so I have had the honor to try out my hacky hands with this contraption. Its currently running a nice clean install of XP Pro Corporate. One thing that really pissed me off is that Asus sold this as a "Laptop for Hackers" but wont let you hack it. At first the violated the GPL License by not releasing proper drivers so you can install your on distribution of linux. They also made it so that replacing or upgrading the RAM or Solid State Hard Drive (SSHDD) voided the warranty. Thats really shitty! How can you tell me I will void my warrenty because I put more standard, off the shelf RAM in the unit? I can understand if I took the whole thing apart and took my soldering iron to the board, but to void it under the pretense that I replace standard hardware... fuck you. It seems they used "Linux Hacker" more as a marketing term than conforming to the Open Source sensibility of homebrew hackers and technophiles alike. This alone made me digress an EEE purchase.

Now, I like the size, but here are some minor gripes, besides the obvious maketing and licence blunders of the past:

• The touchpad is too small to be remotely useful.
• The 7" LCD isnt big enough to hold a typical GUI, even a slimmed down GUI.
  
• The keyboard is very hard to use without using the 'Hunt and peck' method.
• Battery... can we please have an official extended battery?

I like the SDHC, right now I have an 8GB card in there. I havent gone to installing linux to SD yet, or to a USB Drive, but with a little tech know-how its not hard at all. If you think GRUB is a type of bug, then you shouldnt even bother with an EEE. I have managed to BSOD the EEE within minutes of using it, but I just have that talent. Seeing how this isnt mine, I didnt really dig into it. Once mustang gets his paws on it, I will surely be by his side ready to sink my claws in.





For productivity, this thing is useless. The screen is too small to hold a standard formatted screen for text editing, and the keyboard is harder to use than a thorn covered butt plug. If you want it for generic mobile bullshit, its great! Add a beefed up wifi card and bluetooth stick, some nice linux software, and you could be a severe threat to anyone roaming the electronic frontier within the immediate area. Or just be a typical myspace/facebook whore... but beyond generic playing, which I must say, I do a lot, I wouldnt buy one at full price, and if I did get one, a 10" screen would be the best one to get if you can.

Once I get this off to mustang and we work on it a bit, I will post some more about the hellish hacks and misadventures of BSoD and friends.